On the 31st of July Barbados faced a severe defeat against Australia denting their best chance of qualifying for the knockouts. If that wasn’t enough, the Barbados camp and mainly the West Indies camp were sent a shockwave with a tweet shared by Deandra Dottin on her official Twitter handle.
West Indies star all-rounder, Deandra Dottin, 31, has announced her retirement from all forms of international cricket citing concerns about team culture and environment as the reason behind her sudden shocking decision. Deandra Dottin is currently representing Barbados at the Commonwealth Games and there isn’t any clarity as to her availability in the tournament as Barbados is side representing side West Indies so, that remains a wait and watch. Not to forget, another wait-and-watch situation is with her playing in the inaugural Women’s Caribbean Premier League (W-CPL) where she is set to captain the Trinbago Knight Riders in the three-team tournament which is to be played under Cricket West Indies (CWI) board.
YET ANOTHER SHOCKING RETIREMENT:
Deandra Dottin Retires from the West Indies Team, will only play domestic leagues.
🗨️“The current climate and team environment has been non-conductive to my ability to thrive and reignite my passion” 🤯#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/L1Bgsc6S9Z
— Female Cricket #B2022 (@imfemalecricket) August 1, 2022
The hard hitter, Deandra Dottin was the first woman to hit a T20I century which had come off 38 balls and in less than a year she had scored the then fastest T20I half-century that’d come off 22 balls against Australia in 2009 in the Twenty20 World Cup. Deservingly, Deandra Dottin is one of West Indies’ most decorated cricket as she’s since her debut in 2008 made and broken so many records.
Deandra Dottin is the most capped Windies cricketer and one of the best batters in women’s cricket to have played the game and stats too do justice to the player Deandra Dottin is who’s represented the side in 143 One-Day Internationals (ODI) and 126 T20I’s. Deandra in her 135 ODI innings has scored 3725 runs at an average of 30.54 and strike rate of 79.09. Dottin has got as many as 22 half-centuries and 3 centuries with the highest score of 150* that’d come against South Africa in the format. Deandra in 124 T20I innings has got to 2696 runs at an average of 25.93 and has got to as many as 12 fifties and 2 centuries with the highest score of 112* that’d come again come against South Africa in the shortest T20I format.
The all-rounder in Deandra Dottin too was very valuable for West Indies as she picked up 72 wickets in the ODI format with best figures of 5/34 in 94 innings and in the T20I format, she struck 62 times in 66 innings bagging unbelievable figures of 5/5 that’d come against Bangladesh in 2018.
The long retirement letter of Deandra Dottin will be attached below, but to put out a few highlights from the statement it read, “There have been many obstacles during my cricket career that I have had to overcome. However, the current climate and team environment has been non-conducive to my ability to thrive and reignite my passion.”
Thanks to all for the love and support with in my past 14 years of playing cricket for West Indies! I look forward to be playing domestic cricket around the world pic.twitter.com/Vmw6AqpYQJ
— Deandra Dottin (@Dottin_5) July 31, 2022
It further read, “I am appreciative of the opportunities afforded to me and I have ruminated on my decision over a period of time. Playing for the West Indies and representing the region has been an honour. During my 14 years of playing, I have trained at my best and grown as a player physically, mentally and emotionally. It is the combination of this growth that has assisted me in reflecting on what is truly important to me.”
“With much sadness but without regret, I realize that I am no longer able to adhere to team culture and team environment as it has undermined my ability to perform excellently.”
Players and their early retirement calls have become a sad reality as it now is Deandra Dottin’s early retirement call which has come as a huge blow to West Indies who’ve now got to find an opener, an attacking batter and an all-rounder for the roles Deandra Dottin did alone with her experience being an invaluable miss. Fans waiting to watch her superstar can catch her in the domestic tournaments around the globe as she mentioned in her retirement statement with her very next appearance being in the Hundred for Manchester Originals.